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The Rugby World Cup is nearing the halfway point of pool play already, with things beginning to heat up in several of the pools. Fiji gave Australia the first upset of the tournament last weekend–will we see any more meteoric results this weekend?
We breakdown all of today’s matches, detailing the schedule of every fixture, and previewing each clash as well ahead of the first game kicking off this Saturday.
Today’s matches and schedule – Rugby World Cup 23/09/2023
Contents
Here’s an overview of the matches occurring at the Rugby World Cup today, with three clashes taking place across France on Saturday 23/09/2023:
| Match | Time (GMT) | Venue |
| Georgia vs Portugal | 13:00 | Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse |
| England vs Chile | 16:45 | Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille |
| South Africa vs Ireland | 20:00 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis |
With Georgia and Portugal shaping up to be a classic arm wrestle, Chile coming out against England with nothing to lose, and South Africa vs Ireland likely deciding who will top Pool B, there’s plenty to play for in the Rugby World Cup this Saturday.
Here’s a closer look at each of today’s matches:
Georgia vs Portugal – Pool C (13:00 GMT, Stadium de Toulouse)
Given the three-way scrap happening at the top of Pool C between Australia, Wales and Fiji, neither of these sides have a particularly strong chance of making the knockout stages. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty on the line here in Toulouse.
Both sides have played just one match so far this Rugby World Cup, with Portugal losing 28-8 to Wales, and Georgia going down 35-15 to Australia. Of these two showings, Portugal’s was the more impressive, with the minnow nation showing some clear signs of improvement against Wales. Can they take their development one step further, and claim a win against Georgia? They’ll certainly be trying their best, and this should be an excellent contest to get today’s matches under way.
England vs Chile – Pool D (16:45 GMT, Stade Pierre Mauroy)
In what will likely be a slightly less competitive match, England take on Chile in Lille for today’s second match. Chile are the newest addition to the Rugby World Cup, and while they’ve lost both of their games so far, have looked better than expected, losing to Japan by 30 points, and Samoa by 33. They’ll be looking to continue their proud record against England, and not concede a blowout.
England, meanwhile, have played safe, conservative World Cup rugby to pick up two wins from their first two matches, defeating Argentina 27-10 in a remarkable match on the opening weekend of the tournament, before more recently dispatching Japan 34-12. Can they cut loose and score some tries against Chile, or will we see another gritty victory for the English?
South Africa vs Ireland – Pool B (20:00 GMT, Stade de France)
It’s perhaps the most anticipated match of pool play this Rugby World Cup, with the defending champions taking on the No 1 team in the world. Bookies have it a dead heat, as do most pundits as well.
Both teams come into this clash in red-hot form, having won both of their prior matches. Ireland won convincingly over Romania (82-8) and Tonga (59-16), while South Africa saw off a spirited Scotland (18-3) before pummeling Romania (76-0). In a match that will in all likelihood determine who tops the pool, this game will come down to fine margins.
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